Portrayal of Buddhism in Bengali Literature

A Journey through Time and Thought

Abstract

Gautama Buddha is the epitome of Buddhist Phenomena, and religion has its effect on writings. So, Buddha’s philosophy, guidance have not only shaped human life but also shaped a large segment of the literary canvas. This kind of religious influence has not only been restricted to Bihar state, the place of Buddha, but also has spread to Tibet, Japan and all over the world. Bengal is not off that map. Atis Dipankar is a well-known Bengali Buddhist monk who spread Buddhism in Tibet. Adding to that, Lui Pa, Bhusuk Pa, etc., who are the writers of Charyapada, are influenced by Buddhism. In Bengal, there are many places where Buddhist sculptures are still worshipped, but not as Goutam Buddha, but as Mahadev, a symbol of God of the Hindu Religion. For Instance, in Kandi, Murshidabad, there is a temple named ‘Rudradeber Bari’ where a Buddhist sculpture is still being worshipped as Mahadev. This proves that Bengal was also influenced by Buddhism. This paper aims to analyse the influence of the Buddhist religion on Bengali literature. But for the lack of time and scope, I would like to slightly discuss regarding Atis Dipankara, Sahajia poets, Vaishnavism through which Buddhism has influenced and emerged in Bengali Literature, but it would be specific to Rabindranath Tagore’s writing on Buddhism. This research paper has ended with a theoretical touch to open the door for further study on Buddhist literature.